My Daddy, My Superhero
by trek-grrrl
Summary: Perry and Jack take a day for themselves, and Jack comes to a very important decision about his life. Jack's five in this story, Jennifer Dylan is a toddler.
1. Chapter 1

My Daddy, My Superhero

Perry contentedly squirmed into the couch cushion with his sports news and evening Scotch. He'd done the obligatory greetings to the family, and sighed into his glass as he took the first sip of the single Scotch he allowed himself while the kids were awake.

"PER!" a screech hit him from Jennifer Dylan's nursery.

God, now what? "What?" he yelled back, not leaving his throne.

"Could you check on Jack? I'm dressing Jenny."

He quietly smacked his paper down, not wishing either Jordan or Jack to think it was an onerous task to check on him. He stood and set the drink down. "I just went into his room to say hi, but hang on."

He pushed the bedroom door open the rest of the way and poked his head in. "You okay in here, bub?"

"Yeah, I guess, Daddy," came the subdued answer. Cox's five year old son was sitting on the edge of the bed, playing with one of his superhero action figures.

"Whatcha got there?" Perry asked, going to sit next to him. "Spiderman?"

"Uh huh," came the simple answer. When it was obvious he wasn't going to add more, Perry continued.

"You know, Spiderman was out when I was your age."

That sparked some interest. "He WAS? That long ago?"

"C'mon, buster, I'm not THAT old!" Perry said, tickling Jack's tummy to get a smile out of him.

Jack giggled and leaned over Perry's hand at the gentle touch. The sound of his boy's laughter brought a lump to Perry's throat, and he turned the tickle into a rough hug, holding Jack's head down to his lap.

"Noogie time!" he hollered, and gently pummeled the top of Jack's blond head with his knuckles, making his son squeal with delight.

When Perry was finished doling out noogies, Jack picked up the doll that he'd dropped, and was quiet once again.

Perry, ever-sensitive to his son's moods, put his arm around the small back. "What's up, kiddo? You okay?"

A shrug was all he got in reply.

When he heard Jordan coming down the hall, Perry gave a soft whistle to get her attention. She was holding a freshly-bathed and dressed Jennifer, who was struggling in her arms to be released.

He motioned with his head toward Jack, and she motioned back toward their bedroom. He nodded that he'd be there in a second.

Perry stood and turned to tap Spiderman on the head. "Does he have any bad guys around here to vanquish?" He looked around the room, as if seeking a nemesis for the superhero.

"'Vanquish'?" Jack asked, looking up at his father.

"Fight off."

"Oh, yeah, over there," Jack said, pointing to his little desk that was lined with other action figures.

"Why don't you get some big battle set up, and I'll be back and I'll play the bad guys, okay? I've got to go talk to Mommy for a second."

"Okay, Daddy!" Jack said, and went to do as his father asked.

Jordan had the toddling Jenny bouncing on their bed when Perry went to his bedroom. He sat down, and his daughter bounded over to him, into his waiting arms. "Daddy!"

He snuggled her neck briefly and asked, "How's my girl?"

She wriggled to be let go, and bounced up and down, yelling as loud as she could, "Good! Good! Good!"

Her parents smiled indulgently at her, and Jordan said during the bouncing spree, "She's still trying 'good' and 'bad' around in her brain. Jack was doing his part earlier, teaching her good from bad by using icky foods for examples. 'Icky' according to him, of course."

"Hot dogs good!" Jenny proclaimed, making her parents laugh. "Peas bad!"

"No, peas are not bad," Perry told her. "Peas are good."

"No, no, no, no!" Jenny logically argued, at least as she understood logic.

While she continued her line of reasoning on why hot dogs were good but peas were not, even using the occasional English word, Perry and Jordan quietly talked.

"What's up with Jack? He was awfully quiet tonight."

"I think it's because we went to his kindergarten this morning, to do the final paperwork. He clung to my hand the entire time, his eyes wide as he stared around the big, scary campus on the walk to the Registrar's office."

"School's scary," Perry pointed out. "Especially if he's never known anything else."

Jordan sighed in agreement. "I know. I showed him around, at the jungle gyms and swings and the rec room for when it's cold and rainy out. The kids were all going to lunch when we were done, and I showed him how happy they were, laughing and talking and cutting up with their friends."

"Sounds like he's been dwelling on it all day then."

"He's been pretty quiet, yeah, except when I've asked him to help me with Jenny. He never complains when he's asked to help look after his little sister. He's already very protective of her."

Perry thought of his own little sister Paige, who was as young to him as Jenny was to Jack. During their horrid upbringing, they often had only one another to go to for comfort and support. He nodded his head in understanding, knowing what a bond a brother and sister could have. "He's a good kid, Jordan. We done good."

She leaned over to kiss him. "Yeah, we have. One of each, that's plenty, but what a pair we've got."

When she saw her mother kiss her father, Jenny bounced between them, landing on the bed. "Hugs!" she demanded, to which her parents complied, smiling lovingly down at her. She lay back and looked up at them.

"Mommy love Daddy!"

"Yes, I do, Jenny."

"Daddy done good!" she repeated as she heard.

"'Daddy did well,'" Jordan corrected her. She smiled at Perry. "This one's a little sponge, now that she's learned how to talk somewhat. We've really got to watch our English around her, so she doesn't grow up sounding like a moron."

"True. So, for Jack, what do you think I can do? I'm going back to him in a second so Spiderman can beat the -- oh, yeah. Tarnation out of me."

"Tarnation!" Jenny repeated, resuming the interrupted bouncy-bouncies.

"You've got tomorrow off, right? Maybe the two of you can take off for the day, have some father-son time. Jenny and I can have a girls' day out."

"That'd be great, he'd love that. And I think I have just the right thing too!"

He gave Jordan and Jenny each a parting kiss and returned to Jack's room. "Hey, buddy, I've got tomorrow off. You want to go out to our storage unit? I've got all my old Spiderman comics out there. We can dig them out and go grab lunch somewhere, and you can practice your reading with them at the park."

Jack's face lit up with delight, his apprehension about starting school dashed to pieces. "That'd be GREAT, Daddy!" 


	2. Chapter 2

My Daddy, My Superhero Two

Perry lay still in bed, seemingly asleep, when he heard the sound of little feet padding into his room. He didn't know if it was Jenny or Jack, but he was lying in wait for whomever it was.

"BANZAI!" Jack screamed as he leapt onto the bed, landing on his father.

"I'll give you 'banzai,' you little twerp!" Perry growled, completely awake. He wrapped a loose portion of the blanket around his son, holding him fast, and started the tickling Jack was looking for.

"STOP, Daddy, STOP!" he yelled breathlessly. "I give, I give! Uncle!"

"All righty, then," Perry said, releasing the boy. "Go tell Mommy to fetch my coffee."

"'kay," Jack agreed amiably. He slid off the bed, and turned at the door, "You KNOW what she'll say!"

"Yeah, but it's worth a shot. Maybe just once she'll bring it to me."

"I can get it for you, Daddy."

"Not quite yet, buddy. My coffee mug's almost as big as you are, and with Jenny running around, you never know if she's going to get in the way."

Jack nodded his head reasonably. "You're right, Daddy. She could get burned, and that'd be bad."

"It certainly would be. Ask Mommy if she could at least pour my coffee, and I'll be there in a sec."

"Okay!" Jack chirped, once again content to help his father with anything he could.

Perry took a quick shower and shave, then put on some old jeans, beat up sneakers and cut-off sweatshirt. He was sure the storage unit would be dusty and probably in disarray from any quakes they'd had since the last time he visited. He hoped he could find the comics he promised Jack. He hadn't been there in years, only paying on the monthly storage fee.

It contained his beloved comics, but too much of the junk reminded him of a childhood he'd tried very hard to forget. Maybe seeing the things there with his own son would give it all a new perspective, as he shared the few good memories he had.

He was just grateful that Jack had never thought to ask him about his own parents. Yet.

Jordan timed breakfast perfectly, and was setting it on the table when Perry joined them. He gave Jenny a little kiss as she waited, not too patiently, in her high chair. Jack was putting the silverware out, then took his own seat.

"Hmmm, I'm STARVED!" Perry said, digging in.

"I'm starved too!" Jack exclaimed.

"Tuck in, boy. By the time we're done drilling around in the storage unit, we'll be starving again. I figured burgers and fries would be good."

Jordan tsk'd and rolled her eyes, and Perry winked at Jack, having received the reaction he was waiting for. She didn't flat-out forbid it, surprisingly enough, so Jack giggled back at his father as if they'd just pulled a fast one on his mother.

The two Cox men didn't dawdle over their food. When Jack was finished, Perry said, "Come on, I'll get your grungiest clothes to wear out there, it's going to be cruddy. We'll leave the ladies to their day together."

Jack took Perry's hand, and turned adoring eyes up to him. "'Kay, Daddy!"

Perry searched through Jack's dresser, and took out jeans and a sweatshirt, similar to what he was wearing. "You're growing so fast, that none of your clothes are really grungey. I'll take the clothes that Mommy'll be least likely to complain about if they get stained. Here, put these and any old shoes you might have on, and I'll be outside getting your booster seat put in."

Perry and Jack both completed their tasks at about the same time. "Ready, Freddy?" Perry asked his son.

Jordan gave him a kiss on the head, propping Jenny on one hip. "You boys behave yourselves today, and have fun! We may or may not be home by the time you get back. We've got lots of spending to do."

"Great," Perry murmured under his breath. He perked up and let Jack lead the way out the door. "Okay, bub, it's you and me today! Let's go find Spiderman!"

"Yeah!" 


	3. Chapter 3

My Daddy, My Superhero Three

Jack paused outside his father's shiny black Porsche, and groaned, "Aw, Daddy, I have to use my seat? I'm getting too old for that. I'm almost in school!"

"Yes, you have to use your seat, till you're taller. If we're in an accident, not being in your seat would be bad, like carrying coffee around with Jenny in the way." He figured citing a recent example would gel it into his son's mind the importance of using a booster seat.

"I'd get burned in an accident?"

"That's one of the many things that could happen, yes."

He climbed into the seat after his father opened the door and motioned for him to get in. He'd at least let his son keep some dignity by getting himself into it, instead of having his father lift him up.

When Perry got behind the wheel, he made a show of fastening his seat belt. "See? I've got to be strapped in too."

Jack nodded in understanding, then asked, "What else can happen in an accident, Daddy?"

Perry wasn't going to gloss over what goes on in a motor vehicle accident, but he didn't wish to get too technical for the five year old. "Broken bones, cuts, tears, the organs inside the body being hurt, your brain getting hurt. Lots of nasty stuff."

"'Organs'?"

Perry looked at his son. Jack's face was alight with interest as he anxiously waited to hear what an 'organ' was.

"You know you have a heart, right? If you press two fingers against your neck, just so," and Perry demonstrated on his own neck, "you can feel a bump-bump-bump, right?"

"Right, that's the pulse!"

"Correct! Well, in addition to your heart, which is right about there on you, you've got other things in there. Lungs, which help you breathe. Stomach and intestines, which process your food so you can grow. Lots of other stuff."

"Like what?" Jack demanded to know.

Perry touched Jack in the upper abdomen. "Sitting right here, over your stomach, is the liver. Other than the skin, it's the largest organ in your whole body!"

Jack looked at the back of his hands. "My skin's an 'organ'? It's not inside me though!"

"It still counts as an organ. In size and weight, it's the largest on or in you. The liver's the next biggest, and it's very, very important."

"What does it do?"

Perry was enjoying being in teacher mode while they drove along the busy freeway. It pleased him that his son was so curious. His only difficulty was making sure he didn't give the boy more than he could handle intellectually, but Jack was a smart kid. He already knew how to read!

"Oh, the liver does all sorts of amazing things. It helps to store energy for when your brain needs it. It cleans your blood, filtering out bad things, called 'toxins.' It's one of the main sources of heat in your body."

"It's warm?"

"Yes, with all the blood that flows through it, it's always generating heat. Scientists don't even know all that the liver does, it's that important and complicated. It's one of the only organs that can regenerate itself too!"

"'Regenerate'?"

"Can grow back. Remember that show we saw, about the starfish? It had lost one of its arms, and soon after the tiny bud of a new arm was already starting? It's kind of like that."

"Whoa," Jack murmured, his eyes wide with wonder. "And you know all this because you're a doctor, Daddy?"

"Yes."

"How did you become a doctor? Was it hard?"

Perry knew this would be a good starting point for talking to Jack about school anxiety. "I went to a LOT of school, Jack, which all began at the tender age of five years old, and kindergarten, just like you're going to do."

"You started to be a doctor when you were FIVE?" Jack asked, his voice incredulous.

"No, no, I didn't know I wanted to be a doctor way back then. All kids start school around five, throughout the whole country. I know it's scary, Jack, but we've all been there. I have, your mother has. You're a smart kid, I know you'll do well."

Jack nodded his head absently, his eyes on the road as he pondered everything his father had told him. He looked down at his abdomen, and pressed his fingers into the little fold of skin. "My liver's right here?"

"Exactly right there. It's so big that it spreads across your tummy, almost from one side to the other."

Jack measured it out as Perry had described, then held his hands to demonstrate to his father. "Like this?"

Perry's eyes were wide, and his face lit up in a grin. "Precisely, Jack! I bet I couldn't measure it out better myself!"

Jack smiled, pleased to see his father happy. "Maybe school won't be so bad, Daddy. I like learning stuff."

Perry couldn't resist, and he ruffled Jack's hair. "And I like teaching stuff. I teach doctors at the hospital, you know. The ones that have finished school, but need more training."

"You TEACH doctors?" Jack was impressed, because teaching someone who obviously knew everything already must be a very, very important job. "You're really smart, Daddy!"

"Well, yeah, I am, Jack. You, Jenny and Mommy are too, you know."

"We are?"

"Do you think I'd like a girl who wasn't smart? And don't you think we'd make two smart kids?"

"Uh huh." Jack paused a moment, then asked, "How'd you and Mommy 'make' us, Daddy?"

"And there it is. I was wondering when that'd come up." He looked at his son, who's eager expression brooked no dilly-dallying. "Jack, my boy, that's something that'll have to wait for some other day. Some other year, more like. It's something I'll explain to you, in great detail, when you're older, okay? It can be rather complicated."

"Like the liver?"

"Yes, like the liver. Very complex."

"Okay, as long as it's YOU teaching me this, 'cause you teach doctors!"

Perry opened his mouth to reply, but instead gasped when he heard the squeals of brakes and tires from multiple sources, and his arm shot out instinctively to brace Jack, while at the same time his feet hit the clutch and brake of the Porsche.

Jack's piercing scream rivalled those of the careening vehicles, when right before his eyes he saw several cars and trucks pile into one another as an eighteen-wheeler jackknifed across the freeway lane they were speeding down. 


	4. Chapter 4

My Daddy, My Superhero Four

Adrenaline and the instinct to protect his child made Perry move with a speed he'd never believe he could accomplish. In the blink of an eye, he checked the immediate vicinity and his mirrors, swerved the Porsche to the farthest left lane, careened onto the shoulder, looked behind him to be sure nobody was about to slam into them, and brought the car to a screeching halt.

Jack was still screaming, but Perry didn't immediately heed him. The mere fact that he WAS screaming was good enough for him, indicating his son was alive and probably well.

Cox rested his head over his hands, still maintaining a death grip on the steering wheel. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he could've sworn it was threatening to bust out of its ribcage. After a few seconds, which seemed like minutes to him, he dared to look up at the aftermath.

All motor vehicles on the freeway were motionless. Some were piled onto one another, some smoking and burning. Further back, cars and trucks were stopped and people were standing outside of them, firing up the cell phones to call for help. It took a moment to realize that Jack was no longer screaming.

"Holy Mother of..." Perry started with dread. He looked at Jack, who was as aghast at what he was seeing as his father was, and held out his hand to soothe him. "You all right, son?"

"I-- I--" Jack gulped, trying to calm down. He was shaking all over, and very pale.

"Oh, God," Perry muttered to himself. He popped the trunk and ran behind the car to retrieve the medical bag he always kept nearby. He went to the passenger side, and retrieved his son.

Setting him on the small trunk of the car, he looked directly into Jack's eyes, his nose almost touching his son's. He paused a few seconds, rubbing Jack's shoulders gently, crooning to him. "Calm down, Jack. Come on, calm down. I know it was scary and we'll deal with that in a minute, but I need you to calm down, okay? Deep breaths, come on. In, out, in, out. That's the guy."

Color was returning to Jack's face, and he looked into his father's blue eyes, so close to his own, for reassurance. "Are you okay, Daddy?" he asked plaintively, his lower lip quivering.

Perry grinned and nodded his head. "I'm fine, son. Now..." he started, and turned to point behind him. "...this is one of those times I've got to be a doctor. The aid units will be here shortly, but someone might need my help NOW, not in a few minutes. Don't cry, Jack. It was terrifying, I know, and you and I are both going to come down off the adrenaline in a few hours, but right this very second, I need you to be a big boy and stick right by my side. Can you do that?"

"'Adrenaline'? Is that why I'm shaking?"

Perry picked his son up, setting him on one hip, and grabbed the medical bag with the other hand. It amazed him that after all this, his son was still curious enough to inquire about what was going on with his body. He started hiking to the outer edge of the pile-up, figuring he'd begin with the first victims he'd find. He knew he wouldn't be able to help everyone, so he'd help who he could.

"Yes, it is. Neat little things, the adrenal glands. They put something called 'adrenaline' into your blood at times like this, when you need to move very, very fast. So fast that even your brain won't have time to process what you should do next, fight or run? That's why we have it, as a signal to either stand and fight, or run away." He knew he was in lecture mode, and that Jack was probably too shocked by what had just transpired to heed him. He also knew his voice, something familiar to Jack, would calm him.

"Is that how you moved so fast, Daddy?" Jack asked, proving to Perry that he was perfectly aware of what he was being told. "I don't think I've EVER seen anyone move that fast, 'cept maybe Superman or Spiderman!"

"Adrenaline helped, and being your daddy did too. Amazing how fast a parent can move to save their kid, Jack."

They arrived at the first car showing external signs of damage. Perry peeked into the driver's side, and saw the driver unconscious, her head resting on her steering wheel. Blood and hair were matted against her temple. Before they got much closer, he stopped and set Jack down, placing his black bag next to him.

"Now, Jack-o, this is very, very important. I know you're a good boy, and you help Mommy with Jenny when she asks. These people here need my-- OUR-- help. You're going to see some things that you've never seen before, including a lot of blood. Just remember, though, that I'm going to be helping them get better, and soon the ambulances will be here too with more doctors and paramedics. I won't be able to watch you constantly, so I need to trust you that you'll stick right by this black bag, okay? Can you keep an eye on it for me?"

Jack's eyes were wide and solemn as he listened to his father's instructions. He nodded his head, and reached down to the bag. He pulled the zipper, and opened it for his father. "Here, Daddy, do you need your steth'scope? She might need our help. Listen to make sure her heart is okay."

Perry smiled and took the stethoscope from Jack, giving him another hair-ruffle. He draped the instrument over his neck, not needing it quite yet. The woman's window was open, so Perry unlocked it and opened the door. He stood so he could keep an eye on Jack, and, more importantly, so his son could keep an eye on him, and see everything he was doing.

"Ma'am? Are you all right?" Perry said loudly in her ear, not touching her. When she didn't respond, he said, "I'm a doctor, I'm going to help you."

"Why'd you keep talking to her, Daddy, if she's asleep?"

"She's not asleep, son, she's unconscious. Her brain's been rattled around inside her skull. I talked to her any way because even unconscious, people can sometimes hear and understand. I don't know what she's feeling right now. For all I know, she'd feel me touching her, and not know who or what I am." He told Jack this while very gently feeling around her skull, neck and spine before he risked examining her elsewhere.

After a quick assessment, he determined her status wasn't immediately life-threatening. He patted her on the shoulder and said, "I think you'll be fine, ma'am, no apparent spinal damage."

One of the many screaming ambulances pulled up nearby, and Perry motioned to the driver, who was climbing out. "This one's not bad, no profuse bleeding. Pulse is strong and steady, doesn't appear to be going into shock. She's ready for transport."

"Who the hell are you?" the driver growled at him as he ran to the car, his two coworkers retrieving the gurney.

"I'm Dr Perry Cox, and I'd appreciate it if you'd watch that potty mouth around my son."

The man looked down at Jack, as if only then aware of the child's presence. "What the hell is a kid doing here?"

Perry was still shaking from adrenaline, and was rapidly turning furious as he stood nose-to-nose with the younger man. "He's here because we just saw this happen before our very eyes and barely escaped it ourselves, and where the H-- HADES do you think I'd put him right now, if I'm going to be in the trenches saving folks? Now shut up, get to work, and get this lady over to Sacred Heart. It's the closest hospital."

The driver humphed and Perry heard him mutter, "That dive..." His instinct was to strike out at the man, but Jack grabbed his hand first.

"Come on, Daddy, this lady's going to be okay. Let's go to the next car." He put the bag's handles together and hefted it up, motioning for his father to lead the way.

As they approached the next car, they heard a baby wailing inside. "Oh, God, there's a baby!" Perry yelled, grabbing his bag from Jack so his son could run alongside him.

He got to the passenger side, and there was a baby, about six months old, strapped into the car seat in back, screaming its head off. The mother was unconscious, her head against the wheel, similar to the first woman. Perry checked the doors, and they were locked, the windows closed.

"Jack, I've got to bust the window open so I can get them out. Stand back a little, and cover your eyes."

Perry took off the sweatshirt and wrapped it over his right elbow. He braced his fist with his other hand, and gave the window a sharp SMACK, the glass collapsing onto the empty passenger seat. He reached in to unlock the baby's door, and started the quick examination.

Jack wiggled his way in front of Perry so he could watch as the baby continued the uninterrupted screaming. He started talking, soothing the baby as he would his sister if she was frightened.

"She okay, Daddy?"

"How'd you know it was a little girl?"

"Dunno, just seemed like a scared little girl."

"Well you're right, she is. I'm sure she's okay. I'm going to check her mother. You stay RIGHT HERE, and keep talking to her, I think it's helping. She's just scared from what she saw, like you were, but she's just a baby, she doesn't understand what happened to her like you do."

"Okay, Daddy, I'll keep her happy, you go to work."

Perry smiled and nodded his head. He was so proud of how his son was behaving, he thought he'd burst. Every so often, as he examined the young mother, he'd glance at Jack and the little baby, who was starting to come around when she heard the boy's gentle voice cooing at her.

He looked up in alarm when Jack said, "Um, Daddy?"

"Yes, son?"

"I think you'd better get over here. There's blood around the top of her diaper!"

"Oh, God!" Perry tore around to Jack's side, and his son moved out of the way, but kept himself where he could see it all clearly. Perry pulled the pants and diaper back and saw the orangey-pink of mixed blood and urine.

"She may've damaged her kidneys, Jack. Great catch!" He looked up and gave a sharp whistle, catching a paramedic's attention. He motioned urgently for the woman. "I'm a doctor! This baby may have internal hemorrhaging, get two gurneys over here, stat!"

Within minutes, the two accident victims were on backboards and being carried away.

"Next?" Jack asked, looking around.

More and more ambulances had arrived from all over, including familiar vehicles from Sacred Heart. An evac helicopter landed on a flat strip along the freeway, and Jack exclaimed, "Whoa, Daddy! Look at that!"

"That's the evac helicopter, for the more seriously injured people, Jack. They're brought to the trauma center, not Sacred Heart. We don't have a landing pad there."

"Oh."

Perry spotted a police officer on the perimeter of damaged vehicles and approached her. "Excuse me, Officer. I'm a doctor, and I was here when this happened. From the looks of it all, do you think it'd be okay if my son and I leave? Looks like the paramedics and you guys have it all under control. We've been helping here, but I need to get back to my hospital and do what I can from there."

"You two are 100 per cent?"

"Fine as can be, thank goodness. That's my black Porsche over there. Didn't even get a scratch."

"Nice little machine, doc. Sure, we seem to have enough hands now, you'd better get your boy out of here."

"Right."

It didn't take the two long to hike back to the Porsche. Perry threw his medical bag in, made sure Jack was strapped in properly, then fired up the engine.

"I won't ever complain about using my booster seat again, Daddy," Jack said once they were heading down the opposite side of the freeway, toward their hospital. "Do you still need me to help when we get there?"

"This time I'll have to turn you over to the daycare, son, so I can keep helping people. Your mother's out by now with Jenny, so I can't bring you home. Sorry."

"Oh," Jack said, sounding disappointed.

Perry clutched his knee and said, "Hey, c'mon, bub! You were a big help out there! Who knows what could've happened if you hadn't caught sight of that blood in the baby's diaper? You quite likely saved her life!"

"REALLY?" Jack squeaked in amazement.

"Really! The blood wasn't there when I checked her over, so it was fresh. She could've kept bleeding all that time, and us none the wiser. You were really on the ball, Jack, and I'm very, very proud of you."

"Wow," Jack sighed with wonder. He was quiet for a few moments, and Perry glanced at him as he turned down the road leading to the hospital. "I helped save a life," Jack whispered to himself.

Jack gave his head a sharp nod, as if he'd come to some important decision.

Perry saw it from the corner of his eye, and turned to ask, "What?"

"I'm not going to be afraid to start school. When I grow up, I want to be a doctor, just like you! And you started your doctor school when you were five, so I'm going to too. Does it always feel this good when you save a life, Daddy?"

Perry blinked his eyes, which had suddenly turned very misty. "It sure does, son. It sure does." 


End file.
